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My 2011 5 HP Honda outboard engine runs fine, but slowly leaks…

My 2011 5 HP Honda...

My 2011 5 HP Honda outboard engine runs fine, but slowly leaks oil when it is the raised position on the stern of my sailboat. It is leaving an oil sheen on the water around my boat, which I could be fined for. I have checked the tightness of the oil filler cap and drain plug and they do not appear to be the source of the leak. I have also spent a lot of time looking all around the engine for signs of leakage but cannot find the source. Any ideas?

Hello, my name is XXXXX XXXXX I will be helping you today. I have a question back to you. Are you positive it is engine oil leaving the rainbow on the water? Is the level of the oil actually going down? The reason I ask is because gasoline, gear lube, tilt and trim fluid (if equipped) will all cause that same rainbow. What I'm asking is how do you determining that it is oil, and not something else?

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Customer reply replied 6 years ago

There are several reasons I think the leak is oil coming from the engine area under the engine cover. When I put away my boat, I put a canvas cover over the engine. Lately, the cover and the lines that secure it have been stained with oil. The oil drips down to the stern of my sailboat and it has an oily feel and smell. Also, I store the engine in my garage over the winter and mount it on a saw horse. After thoroughly cleaning the engine, I placed a dry clean paper towel just on top of the engine mounting bracket bolts and left it alone for a week. When I returned, there was a golden colored staining of the paper towel and the smell of engine oil.

1 last question for you here. You have wiped the fluid. and smelled it, and it distinctly does not smell like gasoline, correct? The reason I am asking is it is much more common for gasoline to leave a sheen on the water, and not oil. If it is oil, I know where the leak is going ot be, do you still have a warranty on the engine? (I would think you would)

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Customer reply replied 6 years ago

the smell and feel of the leaking fluid is distinctly like oil rather than gasoline. I do have a warranty on the engine, but wanted a clearer idea of what is going on before I took the engine back to the Honda dealer I bought it from. My understanding is that it has a 5-year warranty.

The problem is going to be the oil pan gasket. These engines, just like a car engine, do have an oil pan that is tucked away between the powerhead(what we call the engine portion of the outboard) and the midsection(which is the middle of it). Have a look at this picture,

#1 is the oil pan itself. #2 is the oil pan gasket. Now when the engine is running, or not running but level. The oil level in the pan is below that of the gasket, so no leaks. But when you tilt the engien forward, the oil all pools in the front of the oil pan, and does go above the level of the gasket where the leak is, and is seeping out on you. This is a pretty common item on these engines. When doing an oil pan gasket job on these you are supposed to use a gasket glue called Perfect Seal on both sides of the gasket to glue it and adhere it into place. When the engines leave the factory new, sometimes those gaskets are glued and other times they are not, and it is the ones that are not that tend to leak. It is a warranty item, so other than the trouble of having to take the engine in, Honda should give you no troubles fixing it.

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That is where you stand with this one. I do want to make sure you are happy with me before doing the rating. If you have a further question on this feel free to fire away. If not, please let me know if the ratings box gives you any troubles.

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